Gary Gait withdraws from consideration for Maryland opening

Syracuse head women's lacrosse coach Gary Gait told Inside Lacrosse Thursday that he is no longer a candidate for the Maryland men's opening. Gait said he was contacted by Michael Lipitz, the head of the search committee and UM's senior associate athletics director for varsity sports, but ultimately decided to remain at his alma mater.

"The [Maryland] alums were very supportive and it was definitely an incredible opportunity to pursue," he said, "but I decided because of my family and my situation [at Syracuse] that I'm not going to pursue it."

Gait just finished his third season as head women's coach at SU, making his second Final Four. He spent nine seasons (1995-2001) as an assistant women's coach at Maryland, where he helped the Terps win seven straight NCAA titles.

He was a top candidate — and the players' choice — for the Terps men's job when Hall of Famer Dick Edell retired in 2001. That opening went to Dave Cottle, who was forced to resign in May after UM lost in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

The Orange went 15-7 this spring under Gait, losing to eventual national champ Maryland in the NCAA Semifinal. He has a 47-15 record in his three seasons at SU since returning to Central New York after a stint in Denver, where he worked with the NLL's Colorado Mammoth.

Gait's daughter Taylor is finishing her sophomore high school season at Christian Brothers Academy, while his son Braedon is finishing his eighth-grade year.

Gait said he has five years remaining on his contract with Syracuse, and thinks his recruiting class that comes in this fall will be the best in program history.

"I wanted to also want to follow through on what I started here," Gait said. "I was brought to Syracuse to turn this into a championship-caliber program. From my experience, my athletic director and chancellor are two of the nicest people to work for that I could ever have. They love sports and understand it and and are doing what it takes to be successful."